Connecticut has become the first in the nation to make Google Career Certificates courses available at all community colleges and technical high schools. It’s an effort by the state to improve the IT skills of its workforce to match available jobs.
Google officials said their certificate courses equip people with skills for in-demand IT jobs within three to six weeks — with no degree or experience required.
Governor Ned Lamont said that’s why Connecticut has made an agreement with Google to offer the courses.
“You graduate with one of these certificates, you’ve got a job because you are that necessary,” he said.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona returned to his home state of Connecticut to join Lamont at the announcement. He said President Biden’s Build Back Better plan has $10 billion set aside for such programs.
“And what would be supported in the Build Back Better is a systemic approach to providing opportunity for all,” he said.
Ruth Porat, CFO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, said the courses would be offered for free.
“Our goal at Google is to ensure that anyone can access the training they need to have a full professional personal career,” she said, “to have the economic potential that they deserve."
The Google courses provide training to fill positions in data analytics, IT support, project management and design fields.
They’ll be offered to students beginning next spring.
